it is since 1990 that any republican in the house or the senate voted for a tax increase on capitol hill. any republican. now of the 2 41 republicans now in the house, 212 of them have come to the congress since 1990. so they've never voted for a tax increase. they don't know anybody who has voted for a tax increase. and they were being asked to vote for a tax increase for tactical advantage, on a piece of legislation that they knew the president a, would veto, b would not pass the senate. >> woodruff: only on people earning over a million. >> a million dollars, but they were going to give up their political virginity and risk a primary challenge, that is how they saw it by doing this. what they failed to address is the reality that when you are part of the governing party, and any institution, the house or senate, anyplace else, you have a responsibility to make sure that you can govern. and what they did was they robbed the republicans, that 40 to 50. they robbed the republicans of that sense of leadership, of govern ability and robbed them, i think, and reduced the brand of the republ